Date:         Tue, 20 Mar 2007 21:26:02 -0400
Reply-To:     Don Hanson <dhanson@GORGE.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Don Hanson <dhanson@GORGE.NET>
Subject:      Re: Intermittent smoking and rough running.. Inline 4 conversion
              engine, long..

Thanks, Dennis.

  I know nothing about inline VW motors, so the hint about the valve guides
and seals being 'weak' is a good clue.  I already found out about the
crankcase overfilling, what with the motor being on a steep slant..Caused a
huge smoke screen after adding too much oil once.

  I'm planning on changing the cam soon, so while I am in there guides and
seals seems like something else I should replace (carefully)..If it were
worn rings, it seems like I'd be getting smoke on drop throttle..that isn't
happening.  The smoke is totally intermittant and unpredictable.  The
partial 'hydrolock'...almost didn't want to crank all the way over once,
then smoked like a cold deisel for a few seconds after starting..that made
me think some oil was finding its way into the cylinder while the motor was
off..Valve guides..or something...I even considered that the ring gaps
somehow became aligned and allowed oil to "rise" into the cylinder, by a
far-fetched coincidence somehow...slim chance of that, though and I am not
sure the angles and levels would support a possible occurence like that..

  Hopefully, this will be about a hundred times easier, working on the VW,
than the last camchange I did on my 32 valve Porsche 928 motor...Ugg. talk
about a fussy car! That one had over 85 bosch relays!..More cams than my VW
has valves!  A broken timing belt in that motor bent 30 of 32 valves at
about $100 per valve! Ugg.  I did get over 575 horses, at the rear wheels,
on a dynojet dyno, though..


Thanks again for the tips..
 Don Hanson

On Tue, 20 Mar 2007 16:43:43 -0400, Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
wrote:

>The VW I4 engines are notorious for bad valve stem seals and worn guides.
>With the proper tolls, the seals are fairly easy to repalce wit the head in
>place. The guides can be chaecked at the same time if you are careful. It
is
>also possible that the crancase vent system is not compatible with the
>engine angle or the crancase is being overfilled cuasing excess carry over
>through the breather system into the intake manifold. Excessive piston blow
>by can also cause this.
>
>Dennis
>
>